The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-10-22
kiOwa Cruelty.

AAlSkcu, ouN L IL Splu yOU y0Vu LuhN
Is not a ya,9,, of "the days that tried
mems souls" on tho Texas border. 1t
Is short, simple story of Indian cruel
ty, and one that can be told In very
few words. Tweniy-three years ago.
when I was very young, my mother,
little sister and myself lived in Jack
county, Texas, in the lower end of
Keechi VHlley-nearly everybody In
West Texas knows Keechi Valley.
At the time of which write father
was tramping around with the rebel
army somewhere In Louisiana, and,
pardon slang, we folks were s'rustling"
for ourselves-doing the best we could
to keep soul and body together TIL the
Blue and the Gray got tired Of stepping
on each other aud the fight should end.
Our nearest neIghbors lived something
like u half mile further up tho valley,
just in the edge OF the timber but In
full view from our house. There were
two families, named Holmes-brothcrs
who owned u place jointly, low rail
fence forming u yard for each house.
Cumanche and Ktowa raids were COM
10 lose their terror for the helpless Wo-
by those who had enlisted In "the rich
mans war and the poor mans fight"
and many war widows scalp lock
In those days hung from the redskins
belt. One bright spring morning,
when the air was filed with the songs
Of the birds and the perfume of flowers
/ hnNo0
where my baby sister aud mystl: were
deeply engrossed in the mysteries Of
dollhouse architecture, and made u
grab for sister, at the Same time yei-
ting to "run." l was taken completely
by surprise, but, nevertheless, 1 knew
something was wrong and lost no time
In getting into the back yard and over
the low fence, keeping at the heels OF
thy excited parent, who was making
for u streak of timber Il hundred yards
from our back door. Half way between
the house and the timber, curiosity
overcame fear, and l stopped and took
a look at a scene that ! shall never
forget. l just took one glance, and
that was enough to last the IL lifetime.
A big column Of smoke was curling
up from one Of the Holmes houses,
and three or four red scoundrels were
chasing the two women from one house
TO the other, striking them with the
butts of their guns when an opportunity
presented ftsetf-reader, reader, that
was long time ago, what Pm telling
you about, but l always get kinder
ill.natuIed when ! think Of that piece
of lnfernalism, Besides the two ladies
there were three children between the
two families-a little girl and boy, the
boy seven and the girl eight years old,
besides a little curly-headed piece OF
humanity something like year old
an innocent baby, whose only crime
was that Of being brought into the
world "without her knowledge or con-
sent"-tkat was the baby. AS looked
a big "brave," who seemed TO ine like
he might be ton feet high, caught the
the little one by the heels and jerk0d
It's brains out against black Jack
sappling that stood in the yard. That
Is what / saw In the brief moment /
fingered between the house and the
timber, and you can be, 1t didn't take
us long 10 chit the brush" A small
stream, called Dry Branch, ran through
the lower end OF the valley, and we
waded up this little stream two miles
to the house of our next nearest neigh
Dor, where there happened to be some
"men folks" Next morning we went
home, accompanied by three or four
of our neighbOrs. l went with tho
men to the scene OF the previous days
tragedy, and what sight rnet our gaze
Forget il? Oh, no; 1 was very young
then, but that sight, that spectacle
/ shall never forget! 1t never grows
dim in neInory's halls. The bodies
OF the unfortunate women lay in tho
yard near each other, horribly manglcd
and distigurcd. Both had been scalped
= aud a number of hogs had gotten into
the yard aud were dragging the body
Of the little one from place To place
Il The two older children had been car
r. ried into captivity. The little CIR
died a couple of years aiterward, bu
the hoy grew to manhood in the Kiow,
camps. l saw him in Fort Grifiir
. eight years ago, while on my way t.
the buffalo range. He was married
to Kiuwa woman and was at tn
&. time the happy father of couple q
u semi Kiowa papooses. He could tall
very little English aud seemed i'll q
~ case in white folks society. Shoril
p, after this murder OF which I've tol
N. you we received word that my fathc
had gone to that land where sorro'
and sadness never come, and we lie
cr the vest, moving to Denton, where
spent the big end Of my life. JACK,